Tuesday, April 30, 2024

{18} Dragon Picture Books

Sometimes I make picture book lists around a holiday or season.  That's a lot of them actually.  Sometimes I make them because I realize we just happened to read two books on similar topics in the same session and think "I could find more books on that".  So between reading the words on the page my mind is automatically going through a mental list of books we've read and what other ones could go on the list (I should focus on one thing at a time more, I know).  This list is the latter.  Completely coincidentally, we were reading two dragon books on the same day and my younger son even remarked on it.  So I decided to build a list around that.  We've actually read more dragon books than I remembered! 

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Dough Knights and Dragons by Dee Leone, illustrated by George Ermos
Admittedly, this is one of my favorites on the list and one that immediately came to mind.  In this story, a knight and dragon bond over their love of baking but then law dictates that they must duel each other.  So they come up with a clever solution. 

Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
This is the one on the list we own.  Owl has always dreamed of being a knight which is great because the knights guarding the castle keep disappearing.  But Owl has great nighttime instincts and figures out a way to guard the castle and befriend the dragons who are antagonizing them. 

Dragon Night by J.R. Krause
This is one of the books we just happened to read that sparked this list.  Georgie is afraid of the night, it's too dark and too quiet.  The Dragon is afraid of the Knight.  The Knight has a sword.  The two mistakenly think they are afraid of the same thing but do help each other come over his fear.

The Truth About Dragon by Julie Leung, illustrated Hanna Cha
This one leans into eastern mythologies of dragons as a mother tells her son a bedtime story about two different types of dragons, turns out to be one from each of the boy's grandmothers, one with a eastern and one with a western mythology.  I didn't pick up on that until the end.

Dragons are the Worst by Alex Willan
Gilbert the Goblin is 100% sure that dragons are the worst.  The burn everything down, melt all the ice cream, everyone is afraid of them.  But really, shouldn't the dragons be afraid of Gilbert and his Goblin powers??

100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Lian Cho
On top of a mountain live 100 dragons, all named Broccoli and then many of them scatter to go have their own adventures.  Dragons can have a surprising number of occupations, apparently.  It keeps going until there is just one Broccoli dragon left on the mountain.

A Treasure at Sea for Dragon and Me: Water Safety for Kids by Jean E. Pendziwol, illustrated by Martine Gourbault
This is an educational book disguised as a dragon book as a girl and a dragon spend a day at the beach and the girl teaches the dragon all about water safety.  A nice way to sneak in some lessons to kids. 

Dragon Bones: The Fantastic Fossil Discoveries of Mary Anning by Sarah Glenn Marsh, illustrated by Maris Wicks
A different kind of educational book, this one not really about dragons but about searching for something that nearly seems as mythical as dragons - dinosaurs.  But, a true story about a real girl who was intent on finding some fossils in her English seaside town. 

Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang, illustrated by Charlene Chua
The second in a series of 4 about Amy Wu.  In this one she has to craft a dragon to share with her class at school.  It takes a story from Grandma to help her find her inspiration to create a dragon that really feels like hers.

Joan Proctor, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles by Patricia Valdez, illustrated by Felicita Sala
Another woman who was fascinated by creatures that could be dragons - in this case one of them being komodo dragons.  She carried her favorite lizard everywhere with her and eventually designed the reptile house at the London zoo even a home for those komodo dragons. 

Komodo Dragon vs King Cobra by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Rob Bolster
Komodo Dragons again!  My boys have really liked all these books in the Who Would Win series, always trying to guess which animal the author will pick to win, after going through all their physical attributes and different skills each must have.  Our zoo had a komodo dragon for quite a long time and it was a bit terrifying.  I have never seen a King Cobra but am kinda ok with that!

Dear Dragon by Josh Funk, illustrated by Rodolfo Montalvo
A boy has a penpal that he doesn't know is a dragon.  The two share many favorites and things about themselves but this fact never seems to come out until they are getting ready to meet in person!

Old MacDonald Had a Dragon by Ken Baker
An adaptation of the old song where Old MacDonald has a dragon who keeps eating all the other farm animals.  It's a little silly but perfect for kids.

Dragons Love Tacos, Dragons Love Tacos 2 by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
These were very popular when they first came out and my boys definitely enjoyed them when I first read them.  Dragons love all kinds of tacos but don't give them spicy salsa, that causes problems (perfect for any kid who appreciates a fart joke). 

Have You Seen my Dragon? by Steve Light
Beautiful and detailed drawings of a dragon hiding around a bit city.  It's easy for the reader to spot the dragon but there is a boy in the pages searching for the dragon too.  Many city icons to spot as well. 

There's a Dragon in Your Book by Tom Fletcher, illustrated by Greg Abbott
We've read all or nearly all of the books in this "Who's In Your Book?" series.  My youngest was a particular fan of them when he was 4-5.  An interactive book where you have to help save the book from the dragon's flammable sneezes!

There are No Dragons in this Book by Donna Lambo-Weidner, illustrated Carla Haslbauer
I was nearly done with this book when I picked up this hold from the library and we read it so it needed added!  There is most definitely a dragon in this book and my youngest kept pointing it out and rolling his eyes a bit as the book kept insisting there was no dragon.  So he was entertained at least!

That's more dragon books than I had realized we had read!  And a few I would put in my top, maybe not 50 but 100 picture books that we've read!

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